CLARKSTOWN CIRT TEAM RECEIVES RARE CERTIFICATION

Police Chief Michael Sullivan announced that the Clarkstown Police Department’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) has been certified by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). The CIRT team has been certified after a nearly two-year application process. Clarkstown CIRT is one of only six teams in New York State to receive this recognition.

The standards, set by the New York State Municipal Police Training Council (MPTC) and the DCJS in 2010, include command and control, physical fitness, firearm qualifications, team and individual equipment requirements and high-intensity training. The training required included four-week SWAT school for all new members, advanced sniper school, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security and incident command schools.

Sullivan said, “As a police chief, I know that in a time of need I have one of the highest trained tactical teams at my disposal. This team is another integral service needed to provide safety and security to our 84,000 residents.”

The Clarkstown Police Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), formed in January of 1991, is a part-time team consisting of members of the Department called out on an as needed basis. The Department recognized a need for a highly trained tactical team to handle high risk warrants, barricaded felons, hostage situations, and executive protection of VIPs.

The team is made up of 36 members, divided into three sections: entry, sniper/observer and crisis negotiators.